Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity
As the climate crisis continues to worsen and it becomes apparent that the earth faces its sixth mass extinction event, it is more important than ever to find an alternative to the disordered thinking that prevents meaningful environmental reform in nations of the Global North with large carbon foot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/5/407 |
| _version_ | 1797496044245745664 |
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| author | Dorothy C. Dean |
| author_facet | Dorothy C. Dean |
| author_sort | Dorothy C. Dean |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the climate crisis continues to worsen and it becomes apparent that the earth faces its sixth mass extinction event, it is more important than ever to find an alternative to the disordered thinking that prevents meaningful environmental reform in nations of the Global North with large carbon footprints such as the United States. Informed by affect theory, I revisit Grace Jantzen’s late work on death and beauty in the context of biodiversity to develop the beginnings of a theological affect of responsiveness to ecological beauty. Juxtaposing Jantzen’s theory of the displacement of beauty with Kevin O’Brien’s theological ethics of biodiversity, I suggest that biodiversity can be key to an ecotheology that combats human exceptionalism and prioritizes responsiveness to beauty. I contend that an aesthetics of natality requires responsiveness to the beauty of biodiversity in order to combat both human exceptionalism and the culture of necrophilia that Jantzen critiqued. Ultimately, I conclude that beauty, natality, and biodiversity may be able to inform an ecological theology centered on nonexceptional theological affects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:59:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6a2f73eaa2b4cbd8529d7289da6da77 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:59:04Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6a2f73eaa2b4cbd8529d7289da6da772023-11-23T12:52:28ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-04-0113540710.3390/rel13050407Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of BiodiversityDorothy C. Dean0Department of History, Philosophy, and Religion, Hastings College, Hastings, NE 68901, USAAs the climate crisis continues to worsen and it becomes apparent that the earth faces its sixth mass extinction event, it is more important than ever to find an alternative to the disordered thinking that prevents meaningful environmental reform in nations of the Global North with large carbon footprints such as the United States. Informed by affect theory, I revisit Grace Jantzen’s late work on death and beauty in the context of biodiversity to develop the beginnings of a theological affect of responsiveness to ecological beauty. Juxtaposing Jantzen’s theory of the displacement of beauty with Kevin O’Brien’s theological ethics of biodiversity, I suggest that biodiversity can be key to an ecotheology that combats human exceptionalism and prioritizes responsiveness to beauty. I contend that an aesthetics of natality requires responsiveness to the beauty of biodiversity in order to combat both human exceptionalism and the culture of necrophilia that Jantzen critiqued. Ultimately, I conclude that beauty, natality, and biodiversity may be able to inform an ecological theology centered on nonexceptional theological affects.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/5/407ecotheologybiodiversityChristianityphilosophy of religionclimate changeaffect theory |
| spellingShingle | Dorothy C. Dean Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity Religions ecotheology biodiversity Christianity philosophy of religion climate change affect theory |
| title | Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity |
| title_full | Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity |
| title_fullStr | Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity |
| title_short | Are Ashes All That Is Left? Grace Jantzen’s Aesthetics and the Beauty of Biodiversity |
| title_sort | are ashes all that is left grace jantzen s aesthetics and the beauty of biodiversity |
| topic | ecotheology biodiversity Christianity philosophy of religion climate change affect theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/5/407 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dorothycdean areashesallthatisleftgracejantzensaestheticsandthebeautyofbiodiversity |